{"id":800897,"date":"2019-10-31T18:00:38","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T00:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=373882"},"modified":"2019-10-31T18:00:38","modified_gmt":"2019-11-01T00:00:38","slug":"summit-football-coach-grateful-for-special-group-of-seniors-in-his-first-year-leading-the-tigers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/summit-football-coach-grateful-for-special-group-of-seniors-in-his-first-year-leading-the-tigers\/","title":{"rendered":"Summit football coach grateful for special group of seniors in his first year leading the Tigers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Senior Daniel Gonzalez (14) breaks through the Huskies defense in the first quarter of Summit versus Battle Mountain at Summit High School’s Tiger Stadium in Breckenridge on Oct. 11.<\/strong>
Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

BRECKENRIDGE \u2014 When first-year Summit High School varsity football coach James Wagner took over the program this summer, he said he honestly didn\u2019t know what he was going to get from his players. In particular, there was uncertainty surrounding the group of players who would comprise his crucial leadership group in his first year: seniors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know if they were going to be kids checked out or kids who didn\u2019t want to listen to a new coach,\u201d Wagner said Thursday. \u201cBut I give these kids all the credit in the world, buying in right from the get-go. They have been our cornerstone for us to build our season off of.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the importance of this senior group of five players in mind, Wagner stopped the action for an announcement at practice earlier this week. He asked the seniors \u2014 Dan Gonzalez, Al Espinosa, Zayden Gerry, Alexi Nevarez and team inspiration Joseph Burgos \u2014 to stand up to be recognized and thanked for embodying \u201cthe starting point of what Summit football will be in future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are consistent in showing up, consistent come game time \u2014 rocks to us at the core,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cThey held us together during tough times. They shone on the field for us during great times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevarez has been, as Wagner put it, by far the most consistent player for the Tigers when it comes to everything he does. The wide receiver and weak safety has brought emotion and joy to practice on a day-to-day basis. He\u2019s always the first person to ask the coach how his day\u2019s been. Outside the lines, he\u2019s exactly the type of person you\u2019d like to build an entire program off of, Wagner said.<\/p>\n

His consistency and dedication is evident inside the lines, too. Wagner said he\u2019s probably the most improved player on the squad, leading the Tigers in interceptions. The biggest of all might have come in Summit\u2019s 35-14 homecoming win over Battle Mountain earlier this month, when out of a two-high look, Nevarez played the weak side against three vertical routes perfectly, intercepting the inside receiver\u2019s skinny post.<\/p>\n

On the offensive and defensive lines, Gerry brings a certain camaraderie to the program. Gerry\u2019s been the guy who\u2019s brought younger linemen along this year. And when he\u2019s been out, Wagner said it\u2019s clear to the whole team that one of its spiritual leaders isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

On the O-line, Wagner said the team is as confident running behind him as anyone. And on the other side of the ball, he\u2019s grown this season, giving the Tigers a stout force at nose tackle.<\/p>\n

If anyone\u2019s been a physical force this season for the Tigers, it\u2019s Gonzalez. Though he\u2019s a jokester with a goofy personality at times off the field, Wagner credited Gonzalez\u2019s \u201c100% each and every play\u201d attitude in practice and games this season for setting a standard for other Tigers.<\/p>\n

During the team\u2019s coaching transition, Gonzalez introduced a standard for this team this offseason, when he trained in and out of the weight room to push his body and skills to make a successful transition from blocking on the O-line to providing a lethal, dynamic offensive weapon at tight end.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a motor that never quits,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cI know many other teams game plan to stop him offensively. And on defense, no one likes to run his way when he\u2019s at D-end.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the linebacker and offensive lineman Espinosa, Wagner didn\u2019t mince words about the captain\u2019s role.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is the kid that you want your son to grow up to be,\u201d the coach said.<\/p>\n

A yes sir, no sir type of kid, Espinosa is as dedicated and disciplined to Wagner\u2019s \u201cabove the line\u201d standard and process as anyone. Along the way, with his mastery of Summit\u2019s schemes, particularly on defense, Espinosa has coached up many younger Tigers. On the field, he\u2019s been a dominant inside linebacker, shedding block after block and making plays from sideline to sideline.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the special inspiration Burgos brings to the program. Though Burgos doesn\u2019t often play \u2014 attempting a point-after-touchdown earlier this season \u2014 he has helped to motivate the Tigers through tough times this season from the sideline.<\/p>\n

Against Glenwood Springs (2-6, 2-1 3A Western Slope League) at 6:30 p.m. Friday night at Tiger Stadium, Wagner will look to these seniors to lead Summit (3-5, 2-1) against Glenwood\u2019s smash-mouth running attack. If the Tigers are able to win, they will head into the final game of the season Nov. 8 against league favorite Palisade (5-3, 3-0) with an underdog\u2019s chance of winning the league and earning an automatic berth to the state playoff.<\/p>\n

But first up are the Demons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about consistency, discipline and execution,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cIf we can do those three things, we\u2019ll win.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Senior Daniel Gonzalez (14) breaks through the Huskies defense in the first quarter of Summit versus Battle Mountain at Summit High School’s Tiger Stadium in Breckenridge on Oct. 11.Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com BRECKENRIDGE \u2014 When first-year Summit High School varsity football coach James Wagner took over the program this summer, he said he honestly didn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-800897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 21:22:20","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}